Methods and systems for capturing error information in a SATA communication system

Abstract

Methods and systems for capturing error information regarding a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA). An initiator device is enhanced in accordance with features and aspects hereof to detect an error condition in operation of the system and to transmit error information to the SATA target device during a soft reset condition applied to the SATA target device. The SATA target device discards all such frames received during the soft reset condition until the initiator device clears the soft reset condition. The error information may be captured for further analysis and debug of the error condition by suitable error analyzer equipment such as a SATA bus analyzer. The initiator device may be a SATA initiator or a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) initiator using the SATA Tunneling Protocol (STP). Features and aspects hereof may also include a SAS/SATA bridge device coupling a SAS initiator to the SATA target device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A communication system comprising:
 an initiator device; 
 a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) target device; and 
 a communication medium coupling the initiator device to the SATA target device, 
 wherein the initiator device is adapted to detect an error condition, and 
 wherein the initiator device is further adapted responsive to detecting the error condition to initiate a soft reset condition on the SATA target device and to transmit SATA frames containing error information regarding the detected error condition to the SATA target device while the SATA target device is in a soft reset state. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 
 wherein the initiator device is a SATA initiator device. 
 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 
 wherein the initiator device is a bridge device. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 
 wherein the initiator device is a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) initiator device using the SATA Tunneling Protocol (STP). 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 
 wherein the error information comprises one or more of: 
 Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) information, 
 SATA target device register contents, 
 Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) error information, and 
 firmware state information of the initiator device. 
 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 
 wherein the error information comprises: 
 information useful to an engineer for analyzing the detected error condition. 
 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 
 wherein the initiator device is further adapted to clear the soft reset condition on the SATA target device following transmission of the error information. 
 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7 
 wherein the initiator device is further adapted to perform error recovery processing following clearing of the soft reset condition on the SATA target device. 
 
     
     
       9. A method for evaluating an error condition in a system including a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) target device coupled to an initiator device, the method comprising:
 detecting an error condition; 
 forcing the SATA target device into a soft reset condition; 
 sending error information from the initiator device to the SATA target device while the SATA target device is in the soft reset condition; and 
 capturing the error information using an error analyzer to evaluate the error condition. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 clearing the soft reset condition of the SATA target device following sending of the error information from the initiator device to the SATA target device. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 
 wherein the initiator device is a SATA initiator device. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 
 wherein the initiator device is a bridge device. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 
 wherein the initiator device is a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) initiator device using the SATA Tunneling Protocol (STP). 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 9 
 wherein the step of sending error information further comprises one or more of the steps of: 
 sending information regarding Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) errors; 
 sending information regarding contents of register values associated with the SATA target device; 
 sending information regarding a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) link used for transmissions to the SATA target device; and 
 sending information regarding the state of firmware operating within the initiator device. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 9 
 wherein the step of sending error information further comprises: 
 sending information useful to an engineer for analyzing the detected error condition. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 9 
 wherein the step of forcing further comprises: 
 sending a SATA Register Frame Information Structure (FIS) with the SRST bit set to force a soft reset condition. 
 
     
     
       17. A system comprising:
 a plurality of Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) storage controllers; 
 a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) storage device; and 
 a bridge device coupling the SAS storage controllers to the SATA storage device, 
 wherein the bridge device is adapted to detect an error condition, and 
 wherein the bridge device is further adapted responsive to detecting the error condition to initiate a soft reset condition on the SATA storage device and to transmit SATA frames containing error information regarding the detected error condition to the SATA target device while the SATA target device is in a soft reset state. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17 
 wherein the error information comprises one or more of: 
 SATA storage device register contents, 
 SAS error information relating to communications between the bridge device and one or more of the plurality of SAS storage controllers, 
 Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) information relating to communications between the bridge device and the SATA storage device or relating to communications between the bridge device and one or more of the plurality of SAS storage controllers, and 
 firmware state information of the bridge device. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 17 
 wherein the bridge device is further adapted to clear the soft reset condition on the SATA storage device following transmission of the error information.